There are few smells that evoke stronger memories in me than Christmas pudding. As soon as the fruits hit the bowl and start to combine with the spices the smell becomes unmistakable, and I’m instantly transported back to not just to making Christmas puddings with own kids, but helping my mum to make them when I was a little girl.

Last year I made a classic Royal Mint Christmas Pudding, right down to the hidden Six pence. It went down really well, with the family loving the plump fruits and moist crumb. This year I’ve teamed up with The Royal Mint again and thought I’d add my own twist to the recipe.

As my family enjoy so many types of dried fruits, for this recipe we’ve lowered the quantities of sultanas, currants, and raisins so that we can add in dried blueberries, cranberries and apricots. We’ve also swapped the traditional brandy out for Calvados (apple brandy), which has really special apple flavour. If you’re having trouble finding Calvados in the shops, Somerset cider brandy is similar.

For young children, there are few recipes better than Christmas pudding for them to get involved with, with plenty of ingredients for everyone to help measure out and tip in.

There’s also of course the wonderful tradition of Stir up Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent starts, where everyone in the family takes a turn stirring the Christmas pudding while making a wish.

Stir Up Sunday falls particularly early this year (20th November), but the earlier the better where Christmas pudding in concerned – the longer you leave it the more time in has for the flavours to mature (due to the low moisture content Christmas pudding can easily last up to two months in the cupboard and one year in the freezer!).

It’s great to see how excited both JD and Miss J get during Stir Up Sunday, not just with mixing the pudding and making a wish, but because it’s a big marker for them that Christmas is fast approaching. It’s also lovely for me to think we have so many more years of this tradition ahead of us.

Ingredients

100g (3.5 oz) sultanas
50g (2 oz) currants
50g (2 oz) raisins
75g (2.5 oz) dried blueberries
75g (2.5 oz) dried cranberries
100g (3.5 oz) chopped dried apricots
200ml (6.5 floz) water
30g (1 oz) plain flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground mace
1/2 tsp ground ginger
55g (2 oz) breadcrumbs
85g (3 oz) shredded suet (if you cannot get hold of suet, softened butter works well)
40g (1.5 oz) chocolate (70%), grated
1 cooking apple, peeled and grated
85g (3 oz) soft dark brown sugar
20g (0.7 oz) chopped mixed peel
55g (2 oz) blanched almonds, roughly chopped
1 lemon, zested
1 orange, zested
1 tbsp black treacle
3 tbsp Calvados (or Somerset cider brandy)
1 egg, beaten
Knob of butter for greasing

You’ll also need:

The Royal Mint Six pence
1 litre pudding/heat proof bowl
Greaseproof paper
Large elastic band
String
Stock pot
Steamer basket/Deep saucer/ramekin

Instructions

Put the sultanas, currants, raisins, blueberries, cranberries, and apricots in a saucepan with 200ml (6.76floz) of water.

Bring to the boil, and simmer for 3 minutes with the lid on. When all of the water has been absorbed, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Mix the flour and spices together with a fork in a mixing bowl.

Add the breadcrumbs, suet, grated chocolate, grated apple, brown sugar, mixed peel, almonds, lemon and orange zest.

Mix well, using a fork to get rid of any lumps and ensuring the mixture is fully blended together, then tip the flour mix into the soaked fruit, with the treacle, brandy and beaten egg.

Mix well, and stand overnight. While this isn’t necessary, the marinating helps the spices soak in.

It’s traditional to add the six pence at this stage, then everyone should give the pudding a turn with a wooden spoon, and make a wish.

Use the knob of butter to grease the pudding bowl, and tip the Christmas pudding mixture into it and level the top off.

Cut one circle of greaseproof paper, which is few inches bigger than the rim of the bowl. Use a large elastic band to secure it over the pudding bowl with a folded pleat running through the middle. This will room to allow the pudding to release excess steam.

Cover the top with a piece of tin foil (same size as the greaseproof paper) and then tie it tightly with the string. If you like, you can also make a loop of string across the top, to fashion a handle, so the pudding can be easily lifted in and out of the pan.

If you are using a steaming pot, pour some water into the bottom of the stock pot – about one eighth full – so that the steaming basket sits in the bottom, just above the water level. Bring the water to boil, and place the Christmas pudding in the basket.

If you don’t have a steaming basket, simply use the upturned saucer or ramekin so that the pudding basin is kept away from direct contact with the base of the pan. Then fill the stock pot with water to around half-way up the side of the pudding basin.

Put on the lid, and steam at a gentle simmer for four hours. Keep an eye on the water to make sure that the pan doesn’t boil dry, and add more water from the kettle to keep it topped-up if needed.

If the lid of the stock pot doesn’t fit on tightly, it’s not ideal, but not disastrous– as long as there’s plenty of steam circulating. Keep an even more careful eye on water levels though, as a loosely-covered pot is more likely to boil dry.

Lift the pudding out of the pan after four hours, making sure you keep the greaseproof lid on – that way you can store the Christmas pudding for up to two months.

On Christmas Day, steam the pudding again for another two hours, and serve – perhaps with a sprig of holly on top, and a splash of brandy to light.

Here’s the Royal Mint Christmas Pudding with a twist recipe in a printable form. Just click the grey PRINT button below so you can try it out this Stir Up Sunday.

Royal Mint Christmas Pudding with an extra fruity twist

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 7 hours

Total Time: 8 hours

Author: Rachel Walker, adapted by Emily Leary

A twist on the classic Royal Mint Christmas Pudding, with added dried blueberries, cranberries and apricots. We've also swapped the traditional brandy out for Calvados (apple brandy).

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Metric - Ounces

Ingredients

100 g sultanas
50 g currants
50 g raisins
75 g dried blueberries
75 g dried cranberries
100 g chopped dried apricots
200 ml water
30 g plain flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground mace
1/2 tsp ground ginger
55 g breadcrumbs
85 g shredded suet if you cannot get hold of suet, softened butter works well
40 g chocolate 70%, grated
1 cooking apple peeled and grated
85 g soft dark brown sugar
20 g chopped mixed peel
55 g blanched almonds roughly chopped
1 lemon zested
1 orange zested
1 tbsp black treacle
3 tbsp Calvados or Somerset cider brandy
1 egg beaten
Knob of butter for greasing
The Royal Mint Six pence
1 litre pudding/heat proof bowl
Greaseproof paper
Large elastic band
String
Stock pot
Steamer basket/Deep saucer/ramekin

Instructions

Put the sultanas, currants, raisins, blueberries, cranberries, and apricots in a saucepan with 200ml (6.76floz) of water.
Bring to the boil, and simmer for 3 minutes with the lid on. When all of the water has been absorbed, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Mix the flour and spices together with a fork in a mixing bowl.
Add the breadcrumbs, suet, grated chocolate, grated apple, brown sugar, mixed peel, almonds, lemon and orange zest.
Mix well, using a fork to get rid of any lumps and ensuring the mixture is fully blended together, then tip the flour mix into the soaked fruit, with the treacle, brandy and beaten egg.
Mix well, and stand overnight. While this isn’t necessary, the marinating helps the spices soak in.
It’s traditional to add the six pence at this stage, then everyone should give the pudding a turn with a wooden spoon, and make a wish.
Use the knob of butter to grease the pudding bowl, and tip the Christmas pudding mixture into it and level the top off.
Cut one circle of greaseproof paper, which is few inches bigger than the rim of the bowl. Use a large elastic band to secure it over the pudding bowl with a folded pleat running through the middle. This will room to allow the pudding to release excess steam.
Cover the top with a piece of tin foil (same size as the greaseproof paper) and then tie it tightly with the string. If you like, you can also make a loop of string across the top, to fashion a handle, so the pudding can be easily lifted in and out of the pan.
If you are using a steaming pot, pour some water into the bottom of the stock pot – about one eighth full – so that the steaming basket sits in the bottom, just above the water level. Bring the water to boil, and place the Christmas pudding in the basket.
If you don’t have a steaming basket, simply use the upturned saucer or ramekin so that the pudding basin is kept away from direct contact with the base of the pan. Then fill the stock pot with water to around half-way up the side of the pudding basin.
Put on the lid, and steam at a gentle simmer for four hours. Keep an eye on the water to make sure that the pan doesn’t boil dry, and add more water from the kettle to keep it topped-up if needed.
If the lid of the stock pot doesn’t fit on tightly, it’s not ideal, but not disastrous– as long as there’s plenty of steam circulating. Keep an even more careful eye on water levels though, as a loosely-covered pot is more likely to boil dry.
Lift the pudding out of the pan after four hours, making sure you keep the greaseproof lid on – that way you can store the Christmas pudding for up to two months.
On Christmas Day, steam the pudding again for another two hours, and serve – perhaps with a sprig of holly on top, and a splash of brandy to light.

Notes

PLEASE READ: Obviously, due to size, putting a coin in a pudding might cause a risk of choking. If at all concerned, do not bake your coin into the pudding or when reheating. Instead, simply hide the six pence under one of the table settings before everyone sits down to dinner.If you do add anything like coins or charms to your pudding, sterilise them first in boiling water. Make sure you choose items large enough to be noticed, or wrap them tightly in a ball of tin foil, and tell everyone to look out for them. This serves two purposes: it will increase the fun, and it counts as a word to the wise, so that Christmas dinner doesn't close with people accidentally swallowing the coin or breaking teeth!

* Note: nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published.

Course: Desserts and sweet treats, Festive makes

Keywords: Christmas, dessert, festive

Tried this recipe?Snap a pic and tag @amummytoo on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. I can't wait to see your posts!

If you’d like a closer look at how to make a Christmas pud, here’s last year’s step-by-step video guide. If you want to add the twist remember to update the quantities of dried fruit and Calvados to match the recipe.

Which version are you thinking of trying this year?